Telesco and coach Mike McCoy expressed faith Thursday in their top running back, and they were equally in unison when adding he can't do it alone. They want to find Mathews more help in his fourth year.

"He’s had some back luck the past couple years with his injuries,” McCoy said of Mathews. “But he’s a very talented back. In talking to (running backs coach) Ollie Wilson, I spent a lot of time the past couple weeks (discussing) what we want to do with him. ... There’s a number of touches, and we’ve got to do a better job up front as an entire football team helping him out, getting him involved in the passing game because he’s a talented player who can do a lot of different things.”

Telesco called himself a “big believer” in a two-back system.

There isn't a specific style of running back he is searching for in Mathews' complement, he said.

The expectation is they'll find someone who can at least partially spell Mathews on third down, where he's rarely been the Chargers' most utilized option.

Last year, he had only five touches and one catch on third down. He's totaled six third-down receptions in his career.

Brown took the vast majority of third-down reps in 2012.

“(Mathews) is really talented, a really good back,” Telesco said. “He's got size, and he runs well, but he's had some injuries, too. I think he can be a bellcow back, but he needs to prove that on the field by staying healthy. I think he's going to have a chance to do that.”